Fort Vancouver and Mt. St. Helens, Washington
July 19th
Crossing the Columbia River and the Washington state line didn’t improve our weather much. It was gray and rainy. It wasn’t a good day for outdoor activities so we decided to learn a little about local history and stopped at the Fort Vancouver Historical Site. This site was originally a fur trading post for the Hudson Bay Company. Later, when the United States acquired the Oregon territory, the government converted it into a fort. A portion of the original trading post has been restored and there are some historical interpreters onsite to teach you about the fur trading business.
From there we continued north and stopped at the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center. It was too cloudy to see the volcano- but we got a good feeling for the eruption in the movie and exhibits.
By this time, it was mid-afternoon. We were still undecided about what we wanted to visit. We were debating driving up the Olympic Peninsula or going to Mt. Rainier. Unfortunately, with the gray, rainy weather, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the views of either. We finally decided to head towards Olympia, the state capital and then on to Seattle (you can always stay entertained in a city- regardless of the weather.) There was a little state park just south of Olympia where we camped for the night. Amazingly, we stayed relatively dry. Welcome to Washington!
Tags: BIG TRIP 2011, Washington
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